Category: MLB

With an 82-75 record and five games out of the last wildcard spot, the New York Yankees’ season appears to be coming to a close. I know injuries have played a big role in their lack of success, but it isn’t the entire reason the team isn’t going to make the playoffs. This team is old and I know Yankee fans don’t want to hear this, but it is time to get younger and rebuild.

The Yankees have over $100 million dollars committed to seven players next season, assuming that Derek Jeter exercises his $9.5 million player option. Some of the contracts the Yankees are responsible for in 2014 are Jeter, Alex Rodriguez ($26 million), CC Sabathia ($23 million and having the worst season of his career), Alfonso Soriano ($9 million because the Cubs picked up part of his salary), Mark Teixeira ($23.125 million), Vernon Wells ($3 million thanks to the Angels and Blue Jays contributing big time) and Ichiro Suzuki ($6.5…

The Rangers have been in a free fall over the past couple of weeks and are suddenly fighting for their lives in the chaotic American League Wild Card race, but Washington has a 602-520 record since taking over as manager in 2007 and he guided the club to back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011.

Maybe the story changes if the Rangers miss the playoffs. And maybe that point was already obvious.

Like this:

On July 4th, The Dodgers were a dismal 40-44, 3.5 games back, which is an okay record… if your the Kansas City Royals. Not okay for a team with a payroll of nearly $223 million. The Cuban Yasiel Puig was changing the culture as much as he can but in a major media market hovering near .500 is not a good thing especially with that payroll. Could it be that the Yankee approach led by Magic Johnson and Guggenheim Baseball Management to buy a championship be a disaster?

It appeared so, Don Mattingly was updating his resume, but something changed. Since then the Dodgers are 38-11 and have turned a 3.5 game deficit to a 9.5 game lead in the West. However, this was never about just winning the division, its all about winning the World Series. I’m hear to say “Dodger fans IT WILL HAPPEN!”.

The law firm of Kershaw, Greinke, and Ryu will turn out to be to difficult for teams in the playoffs. Especially the homer happy/strikeout prone Atlanta Braves. Could you imagine the possibility of facing Kershaw 3 times in a series? The Pirates could be difficult as it seems like a year of destiny for them, but they will fall as well (Do I have to give a reason? Its the Pirates!), and between the Red Sox and Tigers they will beat themselves up enough. The Dodgers will win The World Series in 5 games. Pretty woman, beautiful weather, and championships just how Magic remembers it.

“It’s an A-Fraud (usually A-Bomb) from A-Rod… shout out to John Sterling
Man this guy’s good, the man that we couldn’t wait to break the all-time Home Run record, because he would be legit and clean. Unlike Barry Bonds (whose head and hat size is still growing) A-Rod is just a fraud worse than Ryan Braun. I mean this guy was called out by the great journalist Selena Roberts (from SI) for PED/HGH use and denied it; which he then eventually admitted to and now. With a total of 13 players suspended for their connections with BioGensis, which one player comes out and denies? Alex Rodriguez! Of course. Because in Alex’s world he can do no wrong, it’s one thing to fight for your paper (if suspension of 211 games is upheld, he will not be paid by Yanks, but he still get’s his $40mil from Texas), and it’s another thing to be a dumb ass. The reason I say that is MLB has more on A-Rod than any of the other players suspended and he’s the only one fighting it. So will Rodriguez win his appeal? Hell no! He’ll fight it as long as he can and as long as he’s getting paid. A-Rod will smile to the camera and tell us how everyone’s against him because, in A-rod’s world we all are. What a fraud…
Onto my thoughts..
1. Tiger must’ve gotten some pie over the weekend he ran through that tournament like it was nothing.
2. Still wasn’t a major though.
3. Larry Allen said his girl friend made/gave him “2 chickens, french fries, baked cake and a 40oz” and Allen knew that was the prefect woman to marry. #classic
4. Did y’all notice Cris Carter’s bust had waves. #unbelievable
5. Braves have won 11 straight (Editors note: now currently 13 games) and are running away with the division, while B.J. Upton ain’t doing nothing making $75mil.
6. The legend of Yaisel Puig continues to grow and Dodgers are rolling, this dude helped save Don Mattingly’s job. Oh yeah I forgot Puig isn’t an All-Star yet.
7. NFL Preseason week is always exciting, you wouldn’t catch me buying a ticket for one though.
8. Jets fans even booing Mark Sanchez during a scrimmage game, it’s gonna be a long year for my gang green. I still believe though, WATCH US EARN IT!
9. Old man Oden chooses the Heat I say he plays 20 games but hoping he stays healthy the whole way through.
10. QB’s in fantasy football that aren’t big name guys but will do great for your team (Cam Newton, Alex Smith)

I’m the first to admit when comes today’s contracts in sports I’m quick to say “is that player worth that much money?”, especially in the NFL. You have players like Tony Romo who just recieve an extension worth 108 million dollars but only have one playoff win and alot people feel he doesn’t deserve it. Yahoo Sports reports that Tony Romo makes $6,302.52per hour, while Peyton Manning only makes 400 dollars more than Romo. What about other celebrities that makes enormous amount of money like actors or musicians? How come we don’t judge them on their money and performance? As Chris Rock would say “Now that ain’t right!”

Jason “Big J” Allen my fellow UnSportsMenMic colleague asked me “how can i be so quick to hate on Megatron, but not say anything about other entertainers?” Like Ryan Reynald from the movie R.I.P.D. had two bombs in the same week, and yet he probably made millions for just being part of the film. Hell, he scored 9 million for Green Lantern, and according to “Big J” it was terrible. Bottom line is he’s right, a lot of people do judge athletes more than actors and musicians including myself. But why? Until this article I never thought about how much an actor or musician made. I never really cared, but a lot of that has to do with the fact we don’t hear about the money they make. Mostly people care to hear about the drama they go through or what they wore on the red-carpet.

So i decided to google overpaid actors and the first link I clicked on was forbes.com and the actor they had first was Eddie Murphy. I can only think well damn Eddie’s movies have sucked in the recent years. And what’s funny is there were other websites saying he’s the most overpaid as well. Now for a second let’s compare him in athlete terms, he would be an athlete that came out the gates hot in his rookie contract, then got his pay day for his second contract and then decided to stop striving t be the best. We would “Kill” that guy in the media and would want him to return the money, or in the words of Eddie Murphy “HALF! Give me half Eddie”. Furthermore I decided to search for over paid music artist came up with very little info, but I was hoping to see Jay-z name somewhere especially after the recent album “Magna Carta Holy Grail”. I’m not saying he’s overpaid, but if he comes out with more average to terrible material like that again then somebody will have to make a list just to add him on (I’m prepared for the black lash, holla at me @CR_Unsportsmen).

In my opinion actors or music artist always get a pass for the money they make in comparison to athletes, because almost everyone has played a sport, or at least been around sports. With that you feel like if you had just worked harder, had a better break, or just had more of God- given talent “we” could have been a pro! How many times have you watched a game and could point out what the player did wrong before an announcer? How many times have you said “Man! he should have done this…” “Man! I would’ve done this/that instead”. I’m sure most if not all of you have, and that is where our “skepticism” or our harsh judgement comes from. On the other hand, we all don’t feel like we can/could make it as an actor, or musician, so we have a habit of giving them a pass. . Though they all have pre maddona moments, but athletes are the ones I hear the most about, because of sports media with “breaking news” of new contracts, contract disputes, or contract extensions.

Maybe if I was able to watch Beyonce perform all her shows than I would probably have a different opinion on her. The same if i saw how many retakes Denzel Washington had to have while filming a movie. Then maybe I would have more of an opinion if they make too much money, but all we get is the finished product to judge them on. So is it fair for athletes to be judged for how much money they make? No, but there’s no editing in sports so I’ll be judging Romo every Sunday. And just like unemployed Bart Scott “Cant Wait!”

With the 2013 season being the last for Mariano Rivera, it dawned on me watching the All-Star game the other night; that Mo is the epitome of being a true Yankee. How great was it that “Enter the Sandman” plays and Mo comes out and no one else is on the field; both dugouts are standing there cheering for him. The reason I say that is in a world where teammates (Arod and Petitte) usage of PED’s and HGH and idiotic tweets (Arod, we can actually go all day with Arod but I digress) run rampant Mo has been nothing but a class act. Since taking over as closer from John Wetteland in ’97 Mo has 634 saves and had 30 saves at the All-Star break not bad for a 43yr old. Rivera has dominated the game with one pitch a cutter that has broken the bats of many major leaguers ask the Twins (they gave Rivera a chair of broken bats). Mariano lets his game do the talking for him, he never shows up his opponent with crazy emotional outburst like many closers do. No Rivera handles himself like a true Yankee would. Come on even Red Sox fans recently cheered for Mo now that’s respect.
Onto my thoughts…
1. A 66 in the final round! Wow congrats Phil Mickelson.
2. Didn’t Ryan Braun do a Rafael Palmeiro and emphatically deny the use of PED’s or HGH right?
3. I thought Arod was coming back, but now not so much. He’s next to go.
4. Tim Duncan to nice of a guy for his ex wife to lie about him right… Dang Timmmmy!!!!
5. And here I thought Bosh was the down low star… Then again
6. Training camp around the NFL starts this week and we’ve all missed it. As a Jet’s fan let the Sanchez vs Geno battle begin!
7. Looking at Von Miller’s wardrobe, glasses, and demeanor I’m not to surprised he was smoking weed.
8. Only Ryan Reynolds can have two movies come out the same weekend and neither one be #1 in the box office. Turbo looked so bad my kids didn’t want to see it. And what can be said about R.I.P.D. that is not in the title, cause this movie will Rest In Peace.
9. And I thought Channing Tatum was bad… Damn Van Wilder.
10. My surprise National League World Series Representative is the LA Dodgers and for the American League the Red Sox. Winner to be decided with later.

This was Jordan’s answer in response to why he wouldn’t lend support to Democrat candidate Harvey Gantt, in the 1990 Senator election against Jesse Helms. Now I know there have been other athletes that have taken similar neutral stands, so they wont hurt endorsements and etc. The problem now is we have birthed a generation of non activist athletes, and let’s face it, sorry Sir Charles you all are role models.

On the heels of this Trayvon Martin case a lot of athletes took to twitter and showed their feelings and thoughts on the matter within 140 characters of course. These tweets struck a reaction from me, as I looked around the landscape and realized, where have all our athletic activist gone? Remember the days of Mohammad Ali, fighting against America’s unfair drafting of Blacks in the Vietnam war. Ali stood up for much more in his era, and was more than just the “Baddest Man Alive” he was a revolutionary. How about Jim Brown who has dedicated his life to fighting injustice of race, creed, and even went Bill Cosby on the plight of the modern black community. We all remember the stoic picture in the 1968 Olympic games of Tommie Smith and John Carlos putting their black gloved fist in the air in protest of Black poverty in America. Billie Jean King working to get equal pay for women in tennis and one of the biggest advocates of Title IX. I’m sure your getting the point that sports has had a huge history of activist standing tall for a cause and helping mold the public to the cause. Or at least getting people to have an open dialog about the topic.

So where did the Sports Activist go then? It’s simple they went the way of consumer and capitalist money making. Just like the Michael Jordan’s quote it is easy to be silent and make money, then to make a stand and offend. Also in our new political correct atmosphere, the backlash for speaking up/out will always offend someone. Offended people don’t buy shoes from athletes they dislike or don’t agree with. I just wish these figures with so much influence will walk in the line of fire unafraid sometimes and help motivate people to fix some of the ills of this world. We saw a similar swell in the Obama campaign, regardless of how you view his politics, we did see how the athlete/celebrity status helped change a Nation by making a first happen. Now imagine if that swell was used to fight unemployment, legislature, and awareness of good causes.

I know in reading this a lot of people will say “Why do I care what an athlete says when it comes to my beliefs” and you are right. Or you might say “I watch/root for them for what they do on the field/court/diamond/etc I don’t want their opinion on my stance” and again you would be right. A lot of the country was outraged at Bob Costas using his platform to talk about his view on guns, and I say to you, if he never said anything would the country have had a dialogue about guns in America? Probably not. For good or for bad conversations being had on issues that we want to sweep under the rug is good for both parties involved. I’m not asking you to give a Damn about what athletes think, feel, or stand for. I’m asking athletes to give a damn about the influence they can wield to make a difference. The choice is ours to take action or to ignore. Now I don’t agree with what Roddy White and Victor Cruz said on twitter, but their mere opinion about the Martin case got the topic talked about again in my household. That’s what I want to happen in households all over the world, and these figures made to be larger than life can help that. Maybe one day athletes will realize that we all have a responsibility make a better world, and they can be the spark to start a revolutionary fire! Without Michael Jordan’s support Harvey Gantt lost to Jesse Helms, an open bigot and race baiter. Now Gantt loss is not Michael Jordan’s fault, but Michael Jordan didn’t HELP either and sometimes that is just as bad.

“Treat a person as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat him as he could be, and he will become what he should be”Jimmy Johnson

“You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you”John Wooden

“Every kid around the world who plays soccer wants to be Pele. I have a great responsibility to show them not just how to be like a soccer player, but how to be like a man.”-Pele

The Knicks believe in Peace but are they just chasing headlines? With the acquisition of the artist formerly known as Ron Artest, the Knickerbockers bring in an enforcer, a tough nosed guy with a Charles Oakley type mentality. Many believe (myself included) that Metta will help protect Melo from having to guard players like David West and Carlos Boozer. Yes I know Peace is a wing player, but he’s stronger than Melo and who’s gonna punk him out? Throw a beer on him and see how quick he turns back into Ron Ron. The question is this move necessary? The Knicks need a big man that can rebound, defend and backup Chandler and although I like the move. If not for what Brooklyn has been doing this offseason would the move have been made? At the end of the day on paper the Knicks are still the 5th best team in the east (Heat, Pacers, Bulls, and Nets), but having three defensive minded players (Tyson, Shump, and Peace) doesn’t hurt.

Onto my thoughts….

1. Pouncey brother’s with a “FREE HERNANDEZ” hat… Really!!!!
2. Tim Lincecum 148 pitches on a no-hitter congrats, but that joker won’t pitch again for a month.
3. Chris Davis 37home runs at the break. Oh yeah please believe more tests are coming.
4. So everyone pushes for the #voteforFreddie campaign and now he isn’t playing because he jammed his thumb? C’mon Son, should have went with Puig.
5. I like Carson Palmer as a sleeper in fantasy football this year he’s playing with the best receiver and offensive coach he’s ever had.
6. Derrick Rose is officially now 100%. In July… Really!!!! C’mon Son.
7. Is it me or does it seem like some players in the NBA Summer league look like they never played the game before.
8. Jay-z line of the week “I brought sand to the beach cuz my beach is better” classic Jay. And once again Jay-Z doesn’t need the advertising from me.
9. George Zimmerman found not guilty. Really, so in Florida you can shoot an unarmed black kid and get away with it? Next you will tell me that Casey Anthony can have/get another kid… Wait, you got to be kidding me, smh
10. Quote of the week from @hubbuchNYP “Aaron Hernandez’s lawyers just filed a motion to have his trial moved to Sanford, FL”
*Bonus* Matt Harvey All-Star game MVP! (editors note: Ray wrote submitted this at 11AM)

In this age of “Time Out Parenting” and being “Politically Correct” you can’t get your point across the way it takes to make an immediate impact. Kids/Young adults will easily zone you out. Sometimes, especially in sports you can’t wait until tomorrow to make your point. Your teams future, not to mention the coaches job, might depend on YOU tonight. It kills me when I hear or see people getting upset when a coach puts his hands on a player to get his attention. I didn’t say HIT! I mean grabbing the helmet, a push, or finger under the chin making them look you in the eye. Yes, I’m totally old school, but these things I feel are the building blocks to helping your kid become an Adult. It will probably “Piss you off”, but sometimes you need to be shook up, in a way that words can’t accomplish, to get your head out your ass. I think coaches should be allowed that leeway as long as it is never abusive.

“I can’t believe he did that”, “I wouldn’t take that” these are some of the words you here from the outraged masses, sometimes I not sure if its the parents or the players that are more effected by coaches putting their hands on players. In my eyes majority of the time I feel its the parents, because I think the point was made with the player and it resonated. The people that bitch the most are the ones that probably should/need to be shook, can’t they see or understand they are just trying to instill discipline and focus. We have to realize that as parents we sign over our kids/young adults to these coaches, not only to teach them the sport, but to help teach them, teamwork, overcoming adversity, respect, and oh yea ACCOUNTABILITY. If you’re a parent that wants a coach more in the vain of a Tony Dungy and not a Bob Knight then you should do your research and homework for what coaching style better suits your kid. Everyone should know this is a learning, and growing experience in a competitive environment.

Credit to parents when they understand the difference between abuse and just plain “Look at me while I’m talking to you”. It’s hard to take criticism period, but especially when your the star or big name player. You like to think what your doing is right and you always play hard and smart. What about the days when your “off” or seem unfocused? That’s when coaching comes into play, and some coaches style is “in your face” now, if you don’t want to hear it then he has to get your attention. You want to walk away or not look at him, but that is not an option, so yes he grabs your arm to pull you back, maybe he lifts your chin so you make eye contact with him, how about a little push to say “let’s get hyped”. Don’t cry or act like this is a personal attack on you, Take it like a man! It’s what’s best for you and the team, don’t turn into deer meat (shout out to Ray “Big Play”) you might be mad but take it out in the game.

Sports can be used to get your kid/young adult ready for life, because life isn’t always nice but you have to go on. Any real coach/institution will tell you they care more about making the Man, then the Player, and lastly winning. Sometimes you need to be called out to do your best; it’s not always nice. I don’t think “time out” children are ready for this, not to mention all the PC people who are offended by everything. AGAIN I’m not talking about Mike Rice type of ABUSE, let me make that 100% clear. Just in sports and life the trophies go to the winners. No participation awards. So get off the coaches for treating your boys like men. They’ll be better for it.